


in going twice around the tree

by areyoumarriedriver



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-08
Updated: 2012-11-08
Packaged: 2017-11-18 06:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/557857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyoumarriedriver/pseuds/areyoumarriedriver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“And what are you so pleased about, my bad girl?” His voice startled her and she whirled around, a hand clutched to her chest as she noticed him, leaning against her cell bars – still wide open from her break out to go have a little fun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in going twice around the tree

**Author's Note:**

> This is a birthday gift for Danica (doctorrsong on Tumblr), there's a specific reason this is, essentially, a Christmas fic - but you'll find that bit out in time. She understands, which is the point lol. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING :) It contains a slight reference to a previous fic of mine, but you don't need to read it to get the reference. Just my favourite headcanon ;)

**_in going twice around the tree_ **

She wiped the lipstick from her mouth and waited for the smoke from her vortex manipulator to clear. Her white dress still fluttered around her knees and she giggled to herself, thinking of how she’d just married her husband.

Again.

A Hollywood party in 1952, and he’d been dressed to the nines, saving Christmas and her parents, and she’d just _happened_ to have her hallucinogenic lipstick – really – how was a girl to resist? He was just so _adorable_ young, all flustered and red-cheeked and anxiously willing when it came to kissing her.

Bless.

And really – marrying him long before he’d married her had a delicious sort of sense to it. Well, as much sense as one could get in their turned around timelines.  She hummed as she unstrapped her manipulator from her wrist, shaking her hair out and giggling over his poor predicament. She’d call him later – just to really rub it in. The TARDIS would be sure she got the right him – she always did.

“And what are you so pleased about, my bad girl?” His voice startled her and she whirled around, a hand clutched to her chest as she noticed him, leaning against her cell bars – still wide open from her break out to go have a little fun.  It had been the first Christmas in so very long that he’d not shown up to whisk her away, and the idea of spending it in her cell had been unbearable. Running into his younger self had made it seem like destiny. Obviously she was supposed to be there, then. An unorthodox Christmas with her Doctor – but with him none the less. “Or should I call you Marilyn?” he lifted his brows as he took in the dress, a smile curling at the edge of his mouth.

Despite his teasing, and the grin – he looked different. Wearier than she’d ever seen him, perhaps, and it made her hearts melt as she moved closer to him. “Well, a River by any other name, sweetie,” she opted to tease him back gently and his smile grew a bit as he looked at her.

“I still can’t believe you did that to me,” he scolded and she laughed, shrugging one shoulder without care. She sidled closer to him, reaching up to stroke at his bowtie gently. He looked down at her, his eyes warm with affection as she winked at him.

“Can you blame me?”

“Yes – you married me without permission, while I was drugged River,” he laughed as he spoke and she pulled a face at him.

“Et tu, Doctor. Well you didn’t drug me, but there was no _asking_ involved on top of that pyramid.” She arched a brow at him and he flushed, his eyes scolding her.

“You haven’t even asked when I am yet River Song, you’re old enough to know better,” he spoke sternly and she laughed in delight, throwing her head back. When she looked at him again, he was watching her carefully, his eyes dark.

“How do you know I’m old enough to know better then?” she asked, her hands dropping to his lapels so she could pull herself close enough that her body was pressed against his. She tilted her head back to look up at him and he shook his head mutely. “Because – you recognise it in me. Just like I see it in you. Sometimes, my love, I can read your face like my diary,” she ran a hand along his cheekbone, her fingers brushing his hair back behind his ear.  She widened her fingers, spreading them apart until her thumb brushed by the corner of his eye and she looked at him carefully.

“Really?” his voice sounded dry and she nodded slowly as he turned his face and pressed a soft kiss to the center of her palm. He looked back at her, stubble scratching the skin of her hand, “What do you see?” he asked in a soft tone and she sighed.

“Sadness.” She finally admitted and he held his breath for a moment before his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer as he buried his face in her curls. She smoothed her hands across his shoulders, wrapping them around his back as she clung to him just as tightly. “Is there anything I can do, sweetie?” She asked softly as her hand smoothed over his hair and down his tweed covered back. He took a deep shuddering breath and she felt a negative shake of his head before he pulled back slightly, his eyes burning greenish gold as he looked down at her.

“You’re doing it, right now. I missed you River,” he whispered the words and she rose up, pressing a tiny kiss to his chin as his hands tightened on her waist.

“Where to then, my Doctor? Did you know it’s Christmas?” she grinned up at him and he smiled back – a touch warmer this time.

“Of course I knew! Why I’m here isn’t it? Best time of year after all,” he bluffed and she laughed in delight.

“You did not know at all. My, my Doctor, however will you accommodate a last minute gift for me?” she arched a brow at him, glancing down between their bodies. “I’ve a few _suggestions_ if you’d like,” she teased and he grinned, barely even flushing.

“Always looking for feedback, dear,” he giggled a bit at that – ruining his almost leering demeanour and she laughed softly.

“Well come on then,” she laced her hand through his and they strolled through her cell doors toward the TARDIS she’d not even noticed parked there. “Where shall we go?”

“Well now – how about a quiet Christmas in? Only think River, we could get a tree for the TARDIS! And decorations, oh I love those!” he bounced gleefully beside her and she laughed as they entered the glowing warmth of the console room. “I’m sure I have fairy lights around here someplace. Swear I stumbled across a whole _room_ full once,” he muttered as she bounced up the stairs with him to help pilot. The mere fact that he didn’t even bluster at her help told her how old he _really_ was.

“I’m sure you have darling, bless,” she smiled at him affectionately and he grinned at her from across the console, his whole frame seeming a touch lighter.

“There’s a whole _planet_ full of Christmas trees you know – nothing else. Just trees. They grow all year round – special varieties engineered to produce different Christmassy smells – all the rage in the 35 th century. You can even get a variety of _colours_. Oh River we could get a TARDIS _blue_ tree!” His face was properly lit up now and she laughed, shrugging.

“Can it still _smell_ like a proper tree though? I quite love that smell. And you have to get rid of it before it dies – otherwise she’ll have needles all through her systems and she’ll never forgive us,” she warned and he nodded, clapping.

“First things first – we need proper clothes. For the snow!” He raced around to her, dragging her by the hands down the stairs. Thirty minutes later (well pardon her for feeling the need to help him undress) they made it back into the console room, him wrapped in a lengthy blue scarf and wooly hat – they matched his bowtie, he'd proclaimed – and she’d donned black jodhpurs and boots, with a red jumper and a white coat. She’d declined a hat – far too much hair, she’d protested.

Together they landed the TARDIS with a gentle wheeze, and instantly his hand was in hers, tugging her toward the doors. Outside there was snow everywhere – so brilliantly white it _sparkled_ in the bright sunshine. She lifted her free hand to shield her eyes as she stumbled after the Doctor who was pulling her along, babbling about certain geneses of trees. And lord, were there trees. Purple, blue, orange, yellow – there was a plaid one that was particularly garish and one that emulated a herringbone tweed pattern that had him looking at her with big, sad eyes as she flat out refused.

“Absolutely not, Doctor,” she spoke calmly and he sighed heavily, glancing longingly back at the tree.

“We could top it with a bowtie. Oh! Or decorate it with a _bunch_ of bowties, how cool would that be?”

“Well for one, they’d just be bows. How about,” she tugged him closer as her voice lowered, her body brushing against his as the snow crunched under their feet, “we get that lovely green spruce we saw right by the TARDIS.” He pouted at the mere idea of a green Christmas tree, but she wrapped a hand in his scarf and tugged him closer so she could whisper in his ear. “I’ll let you put bowties on it, honey.”

“ _Really_?” he all but squealed in delight, hugging her tightly as she giggled. In all of his over enthusiastic bouncing, they nearly lost their footing, just barely managing to remain upright as he laughed and she shook her head. “Can we put a fez on top?”

“Good lord, no.” She countered and he pouted. “Why can’t you be obsessed with handsome hats?”

“You like the top hat,” he teased, pulling her closer and she rolled her eyes.

“Nostalgia, sweetie. I killed you in that hat,” she poked a finger in his ribs and he glared at her.

“No, you _saved_ me in that hat, River Song,” he chastised her, his arms wrapping around her as his hands tangled in her hair. “You’ve saved me,” he repeated. “And you don’t even _know_ how much.” His eyes were intent and she felt her throat tighten at the obvious emotion all over his face.

“No, but I know I’d do anything for you, Doctor. Anything at all.” She whispered the words and he swooped down, his mouth covering hers as his fingers wrapped around curls. She sighed into his mouth, her own opening with ease as his tongue licked along her lower lip, sucking on it lightly. Her own tongue swept into his mouth, licking along his greedily as she moaned, her hands clutching his scarf and tugging him even closer.

This time when they lost their footing, they fell – his teeth hitting her mouth as they both grunted in pain. “Oh, bugger – sorry,” he scrambled back, all apologies and misplaced limbs, but she tugged him back toward her, kissing him again. His mouth softened over hers instantly, his tongue darting into her mouth this time, licking at the roof of it and along the back of her teeth. He ran it over her lip where his teeth had nipped earlier and she moaned, pushing her body from the ground, arching it into his own. “River,” he sighed her name against her lips and she smiled a bit before kissing him even more deeply, his hands patting at her coat ineffectually as she tilted her hips up into his, grinding against him deliciously as they both moaned.

A moment later she felt something ice-cold and wet trickle down her neck and she broke away from him, shrieking and sitting up. “Snow?” he asked, all innocent concern, but his eyes flashed with mischief and she scrambled back just as he brought a handful of snow up and shoved it by her neck in an attempt to shove it down her shirt. She froze, glaring at him.

“Doctor…” she spoke in a low warning tone and he stilled, eyes wide as he looked at her.

“Yeah?”

“ _Run_ ,” he was already to his feet, slipping away as she jumped up and pelted after him.

Forty minutes later they were absolutely _soaked_ , red-cheeked and laughing as they dragged a ten foot spruce into the console room. The TARDIS – who was apparently accommodating them for once, had a tree stand already set up to the right, near the honeycomb wall, as well as several boxes laid out neatly alongside it. River helped the Doctor drag the tree upright, holding it and helping him lift it into the stand as he grumbled about his sonic _really_ needing a wood setting.

“I mean honestly – felled by _trees_ , River,” he complained from below the branches. She couldn’t see him through the branches though, all she could see were his bandy legs, sticking out from under the tree.

“Have you almost got it? I’m going to have sap all over my _everything_ , and I’ll be picking needles out of my hair for  _weeks_ ,” she poked at his thigh with her socked foot – her sopping boots had been abandoned by the door, along with her coat and his scarf and tweed. He’d left the wooly hat on though. Bless.

“Almost, _almost_ ,” he muttered, irritated and she laughed softly down at him. “Okay – think I’ve got it – try to let go.”

She hesitated, staring down at him. She certainly didn’t want a tree-crushed husband for Christmas. “Are you _sure_?”

“Yes, _yes_ ,” he growled. “Let go!” She did, unpeeling her hand from the slim trunk, sap sticking to her palm and fingers like glue. The tree swayed for a moment, before remaining in place and she breathed out a sigh of relief. He squirmed out from under the tree, bouncing up beside her and wrapping an arm around her as they stared at the tree. “See?” He nudged her, wearing a smug grin. “Told you so.”

Just then the tree gave a wobble and a lurch and toppled over with a crash. She arched a brow at him in amusement as he gaped down at it. “So you did.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek, chuckling lightly. “Maybe _you_ hold it this time, and I’ll tighten the bolts, sweetie.”

He grumbled, but hauled the tree upright while she scooted under the low branches, loosening the bolts and having him adjust the position slightly until it was centered. “Just hold tight, my love,” she called up, turning the bolts to tighten them.

“You know I far prefer when you say that naked. And when spruce needles aren’t in my shirt,” he grumbled and she laughed softly.

“Wasn’t a proper Christmas at home your idea, sweetie?” she crawled out from under the tree with a grin, tossing her hair (and likely a few hundred spruce needles) out of her face. “Let go.” He did, leaping back from the tree as though it would come after him specifically, and she giggled as the tree stood straight.

“Yeah, well,” he tugged at his bowtie and glared at her. “I started it. Nearly had it, really – minor adjustments,” he waved a hand and she laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

“What next?”

“Well – first a bath – I’m frozen to my bones _\- your_ fault, by the way,” he glared at her, pointing and she looked back at him incredulously.

“You started it,” she pointed out and he flushed.

“And then Christmas music, and cocoa – oh I _love_ cocoa! Biscuits and decorating! Maybe some dancing,” he wrapped his arms around her, his hands sticking to her jumper because of the sap. She laughed as he danced her around for a few steps, humming an unrecognizable tune. “You should wear something pretty,” his voice was soft and she looked up at him with a smile.

“Such as?” she asked with a laugh as they waltzed lazily around the tree.

“Oh anything – everything is pretty on you, dear,” he smiled charmingly down at her and she grinned back at him.

“So suave,” she giggled, reaching up to press a kiss to his mouth. “My husband, the charmer,” she teased and he preened. “Alright then – best get started. Trying to corral you into decorating this thing is going to be exhausting enough.”

“Oi!” he protested as she slipped out of his arms. “I can be focussed, you know River!”

“When the universe _isn’t_ about to implode?” she tossed over her shoulder.

“Well,” he spluttered, “very nearly. I manage to keep focus quite well in _certain_ areas, wife,” he grumbled under his breath as she lead him down the hall.

They showered together, hands slipping and _helping_ deliciously as he muttered about being perfectly focussed, thank you very much. She was a bit light-headed when they finally stumbled out of the tiled bathroom, when he insisted that she should get dressed in the wardrobe, while he got ready in there. She frowned but he kissed her so thoroughly that she forgot her complaints, instead she stumbled down the hall and into the wardrobe, where the TARDIS kept her amused, providing her with dress after dress after dress – none of them quite _right_. “I’d almost swear you were doing this on purpose, dear,” she muttered and the ship hummed.

Eventually she found a long sleeved black dress with a sweeping skirt and a plunging neckline that more than made up for the demureness of the rest of the dress. She slipped her feet into a pair of red heels and fluffed her hair gently as she wandered toward the console room.

As she drew closer, she could hear soft strains of Christmas music playing, and she could smell the sweet scent of cocoa, rich in the air. When she finally emerged into the room, she could see two steaming mugs on the console, along with a full plate of biscuits, and what looked like mince pies next to them. She moved into the room further, and covered her mouth with her hand to supress a giggle.

Her husband – her rather adorable, ancient, _alien_ husband was absolutely _surrounded_ by a nest of fairy lights, an expression of utter frustration on his face as he growled. He was dressed in his best suit – his top hat cast aside and his bowtie hanging undone around his neck as he attempted to untangle the red and green lights that were wrapping around him like _he_ was the Christmas tree.

“Oh, _honey_ ,” she breathed out and he looked up with a frustrated pout.

“I swear River, it’s like they all gone and had several knot tying competitions while in storage. Or, you know, wherever they were. This is _impossible_ ,” he threw his hands up and huffed, every inch the overgrown child she knew and loved as she moved closer, kneeling beside him.

“Not impossible,” she tapped his nose playfully as she settled beside him on the floor, “only _nearly_.” He glared at her balefully and she laughed.

“I hate you,” he grumbled and she grinned.

“No you don’t. Now where shall we start?” She glanced at the veritable knotted mess surrounding him with a smile. “If we can restart the entire _universe – twice_ , surely we can handle this, my love.”

He smiled fondly at her, his eyes warm as he stared down at her. He reached a hand up, his arm draped with fairy lights and he brushed his fingers along her jaw gently. “You always fix things, you know. I’m the Doctor, _I’m_ supposed to be the one to do that, but you, River-”

“I’m the Professor,” she grinned and leaned over to kiss his cheek softly as his eyes widened in shock. “Or at least, I will be one day, according to a certain _someone_ who can’t seem to keep his spoilers to himself,” she teased and he let out a relieved breath as she frowned.

“You’ve done the Byzantium, then?” he seemed to hold his breath for a moment before he turned his head and brushed his mouth over hers again, his hand sliding along her jaw as he deepened the kiss. She moaned, kissing him back despite not being quite sure what had brought this on. He was very affectionate normally though – especially in these later years when her parents weren’t constantly with him. How he seemed unable to resist touching her, or holding her hand, or simply brushing a kiss over her skin – whichever bit he could reach at the time – certainly made encountering his younger self that much more difficult. Young, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid touching her at all costs.

When he pulled back, they were both breathless and she hummed. “Not long ago, really. Didn’t earn me my pardon obviously – how droll, the Church going back on their word,” she spoke drily. “You were so young then.”

“I’m sorry River, if it makes you feel any better, you drove me absolutely _mad_ then. So clever, so one step ahead of me in _everything_. I found it incredibly sexy. And incredibly frustrating,” he admitted as she laughed softly, sitting back a bit.

“Oh, I _know_ , sweetie. I quite enjoy winding you up, you know.” She laughed and he rolled his eyes, pulling a face at her. “Don’t even act like you didn’t love the hell out of it when I was young,” she glared and he shrugged sheepishly. “Okay – what we need to do to make this easier, is plug them in.”

“But we don’t have a receptacle. Actually, hang on, I can,” he struggled with his suit for a moment before pulling out his screwdriver. She found the end of the string of lights and held it up for him to sonic, lighting the tiny red and green bulbs up. She smiled at him brightly and he giggled, as they began to untangle the string.

“Dear god, how long _is_ this string?” she muttered fifteen minutes later. Behind her they had a rope of neatly coiled, untangle fairy lights. He was absolutely _covered_ in them – as she’d untangled the end, some loops and knots had to be held aside – they were the best place to do that unfortunately. After about ten minutes, he’d protested him being the only one holding them, and he’d draped several over her. He seemed fond of draping them through her curls and giggling like a schoolboy.

“Oh I don’t know – it’s all one strand though, terribly convenient when putting them up you know. Why I think it did the entire tree, twice, plus the _whole_ console room last time,” he muttered thoughtfully and she stared at the still tangled mess between them in dismay.

“Sweetie, _please_ tell me you’re joking,” she spoke faintly and he grinned, tugging her closer, his long fingers wrapped around the crook of her elbow. He smiled as she brushed her hand along his back and shoulders, fingers tangling in fairy lights. Her other hand brushed against his jaw, giggling about the way the soft green and red light reflected along his skin and he laughed too, his mouth covering hers.

He kissed her softly, thoroughly – the sort of kiss that made one feel as if they could sit and just keep kissing forever, sweet and open mouthed, his hand sliding along her sleeve as his other hand rubbed circles along her back, dipping low to squeeze at her bum as she giggled against his lips. “Not joking,” he murmured against the skin of her jaw as his mouth glided along her throat, kissing and nipping softly there, his tongue stroking along the column of it. She gasped, her hands clutching him tighter as she laughed throatily.

“Bad man, and really – again already? At this rate it will take us _ages_ to get all of these decorations up. Christmas is technically only one day, you know, my love,” she teased as his hands slid to her zip, tugging it down with ease.

“Good. Days last forever in here, River Song, and I’ve a mind to make love to my wife at every given opportunity,” he was tugging her dress down, getting it snagged on the rope of fairy lights still wrapped around her. Eventually he succeeded though, and her dress top was draped around her hips as his hands slid back up over her ribcage to cup her breasts gently, his long fingers tugging aside the cup of her black bra.

“Sounds like _my_ kind of Christmas, sweetie. However shall we top it on St. Stephen’s Day?” She gasped out the last bit as he dipped his head, his mouth swallowing the nipple he’d exposed, teeth grazing and his tongue laving against the skin as she squirmed closer to him, her thighs pressed together to relieve some of the ache that had bloomed there.

Her hands travelled around his body, untwining bits of lights and tossing them aside until she could shove his jacket from his shoulders, throwing that behind them too. His mouth was everywhere, and she moaned as his hands stroked along her skin. He licked and bit at her skin, ridding her of her bra as she unfastened his waistcoat.  They seemed to be working at cross purposes, both racing to undress each other, but where she was unwinding lights from him, he seemed to take delight in wrapping them around her. “Sweetie,” she laughed, “you’ll wreck them.”

“They look much much better wrapped around you though,” he growled in a low voice that sent shivers crawling along her spine. She was down to her knickers now, her dress having been tossed aside, and he shoved the lights aside until he had her stretched out along the floor, the tree towering above them and a rope of fairy lights wrapped around her body. He lifted her hands, pressing a kiss to each palm as he stretched out beside her, his skin cool against hers. He lifted their entwined hands above her head, causing her back to arch up. He pressed kisses along her clavicle, her sternum, his hands still wrapped around hers as he dropped his head to lick at the tip of her breast greedily as she gasped below him, shifting on the floor. “We’ll be careful,” he whispered into her skin and she felt his hands let hers go, but somehow she couldn’t move them.

She looked up to see glowing lights wrapped around her wrists and she opened her mouth in shock. When she looked back at him, he wore the most smug expression. She grinned, testing the strength of his bonds a bit, enjoying the feel of them cutting into her skin. “Why Doctor, you naughty boy,” she purred and he grinned proudly, trailing a hand down over her chest and stomach, watching her skin jump in fascination.

“So lovely,” he whispered, fingertips ghosting along her skin, feather-light until he moved down along her body a bit, gathering her breast in his hand and squeezing as his mouth sucked at her nipple harshly. She cried out, her hips lifting toward him and she felt his teeth scrape over the sensitive nub as she gasped.

“Oh, god, sweetie, _please_ ,” she pleaded with him but his fingers simply squeezed tighter – she wondered if he’d leave finger shaped marks there, and a liquid fire spread through her at the mental image. It was one of their favourite games to play – leaving marks on each other to carry forth into their own personal timelines. Like badges or ribbons that marked the fact that they were there – especially if they encountered a much younger version next. It was far easier to flirt with his young clueless self when she had a love bite burning away on her inner thigh or shadowed bruises on her hips from the force of his grip.

He kissed his way across her chest, stopping in the center to trace the outline of her hearts with his tongue.  “Do you know, River, how desperately I need you sometimes?” he spoke the words to her hearts like a secret and she felt her chest tighten as tears stung her eyes for a moment. Just a moment though, because in the next his hand was wrapping around her other breast, his mouth licking and biting as his other hand walked down her stomach, past her navel, avoiding getting tangled in the lights corded around her until it slid down to cup her through her knickers as she whimpered.

“Oh god, _yes_ ,” her head fell back and she thrust her hips into his palm, desperate for some friction there. His fingers slid along the damp fabric between her legs, his mouth still sucking at her breast as he traced along the crotch of her knickers teasingly, causing her hips to twitch below him. “Doctor, _please – need_ you, come on,” she whinged and he chuckled against her skin, pulling back to look down at her darkly.

“You are so gorgeous like this, my dear. All restrained and lovely, desperate and aching – I can see it in you, in every move of your body, every bit of skin that’s pressing against those lights. You are so glorious, River. I never want to look at anything else, ever again,” his words, spoken in that low tone of his that simply drove her _wild_ , sent a thrill through her, causing her to struggle against the cord of lights uselessly as her hips undulated against his hand, desperate for some sort of sweet relief. She moaned, and he rewarded the sound by pressing his palm that much harder against her core. She felt her whole body twitch in response.

“God, I want you inside of me so badly sweetie – any part of you – your fingers, your tongue, your co-” he surged forward, covering her mouth with his own, his tongue thrusting against hers as his oh so clever fingers hooked the edge of her knickers, tugging them aside until he could slip his fingers along her slick folds. He groaned into her mouth, sucking on her tongue lightly as his fingers slid within her. “Oh god, _yes_ ,” she panted, tearing her mouth from his as he buried his face by her neck, nipping lightly as his hand ground against her and she met him, thrust for thrust.

“God, you feel amazing. Like wet silk, god – _so_ wet, River,” he groaned against her skin, his hand still working between her legs, wrist bent and his fingers curling inside of her until he was hitting that perfect spot, over and over again. She loved every him she got, but god did she love it when he already knew every button to push, every kink she had – and catered to them all.

“Just for you,” she gasped the words out and he bit at her shoulder in approval. He had his own kinks too, and she catered just as much as he did – even now, while restrained and unable to touch him like she wanted to.

“I adore it, the feel of you, so slippery, the smell of you – god you smell _amazing_ right now,” his mouth was moving down as he spoke, his fingers never pausing as he slid his thumb up to press against her clit almost viciously. It sent sharp waves of pleasure through her as she sobbed above him.

“Oh god, sweetie, I’m so close,” she begged wantonly, “please, please, let me come, my love.” Her words were all deliberate, chosen to drive him mad, even as she was half out of her own mind with lust as he kissed her stomach and slid his thumb across her clit, over and over, each lateral stroke pushing her higher and higher.

“I bet you taste even better,” he kissed the skin by her hipbone, and suddenly his hand vanished from between her thighs and she sobbed in frustration, hanging on the edge of orgasm. But even as she breathed in to protest again, his hand pulled her now soaked knickers aside once more and his mouth was there, pressing soft kisses along her flesh. She arched her back, pressing her hips toward his face and she could feel his smile as he backed away.

“Oh you absolute _bastard_ ,” she threatened from above him, glancing down over her own body to see the various bites and bruises he’d left in his wake. The sight of his grinning face between her thighs somehow managed to turn her on ever _more_ and she whimpered in frustration. “Please, darling?”

“That’s my girl,” he pressed a kiss to her inner thigh before burying his face between her legs once more, all business this time as he slid his tongue along her folds and within her. She writhed against him, her hips twisting and her thighs clenching around his head desperately. He licked at her, his tongue thrusting in and out of her as she moaned, louder and louder. Her bones felt like they were buzzing underneath her too-hot skin.

“Oh god, _please_ , sweetie,” she cried out and he lifted his mouth, surging up to suck at her clit as his fingers slid within her once more, longer and able to reach everywhere she needed him to be. She sobbed in relief and he stroked her deftly, pushing her back to the edge once more. Once she was _just_ there, his name a litany of curses spilling from her lips, he twisted his fingers within her and sucked so hard on her clit that stars burst across her vision as she came with a shout of his name.

He didn’t let her come down from her orgasm easy, rather he nipped at her clit and continued to pump his fingers in and out of her – drawing it out as long as he could, until she thought she might actually pass out from the pure sensation ripping through her body.

Eventually though, he moved, eager and only so patient. He rose to his knees, his hand fumbling with the fastenings of his trousers, where she could plainly _see_ his erection, straining against the fabric. She licked her lips, her chest heaving from the effort of breathing as she twitched at the sight. “Oh god, Doctor – may I?” she begged prettily, and he looked up from his unfastening to see the hungry look in her eyes and how she ran her tongue over her lips. “I want – honey I want to taste you too,” she pleaded in a low voice and his breathing grew shallow as he looked at her. Finally he swallowed, leaping to his feet and shedding his trousers. He bent, and slid her now ruined knickers down her legs, leaving her exposed to the cool air. He stared down at her in thought and she smiled wickedly up at him. “Leave me like this – you’ll have to kneel, my love. And lend me a hand,” she breathed the words out and his gaze darkened at the mere idea of it.

He dropped to his knees, crawling along beside her body until he could swing a leg over – one knee on either side of her shoulders. She hummed in approval as he supported his own weight his hand coming down to stroke at his length and she felt an ache between her legs at the sight of his amazing fingers wrapped around his cock, hard and heavy above her. “God you are beautiful,” she breathed the words out and he looked down at her, a flush on his skin and his eyes glittering in the subdued lights. “I could get off just _watching_ you do that, you know?” She admitted in a low tone and he groaned above her, his hand tightening as he shifted forward and pumped his fist along his length more slowly.

“You are so naughty,” he moaned the words out as she watched his hand intently, lifting and sliding along his erection.

“Move your thumb over the head, sweetie, like I do,” she instructed softly and he panted with need above her, sweeping his thumb over the head and causing a drop of clear fluid to slide down the shaft as she licked her lips. “Is that the hand you used on me?” He nodded and she moaned, squirming below him. “Oh god, yes, come here,” she instructed and he was leaning over her then, his fingers wrapped around the base of his shaft as he tilted his cock toward her mouth obligingly. She licked at that bead of fluid first, the salty tang blooming across her tongue as she followed its path, up his shaft and over the tip until she was tonguing at the slit as he groaned above her.

“Oh god, _River_ ,” he breathed her name out and she smiled, her lips pressed against the tip of his cock. She loved when he said her name – the way it rolled from his lips. She licked her lips, her tongue brushing against the head before she opened her mouth, wide. She couldn’t move though, so she lifted her brows at him and he whimpered, crouched over her with one hand still wrapped around his shaft and the other pressed to the floor next to her own, above her head. “Oh god,” he managed to whimper before he adjusted his grip and thrust his hips forward, sliding into her mouth slowly as she hummed in approval. He gasped when his head nudged the back of her throat – not quite as deep as usual because of the angle, more the back of the roof of her mouth but she moaned in approval, feeling herself grow wetter as he breathed harshly above her. His arm that was supporting his weight was tense, and she could see the veins standing out in his forearm as he slid back and then moved forward again, fucking her mouth slowly.

“Bloody hell, River,” he whimpered above her as she pressed the flat of her tongue against him, humming encouragement at him. “Faster?” he asked incredulously and she nodded, swallowing as he hit the back again. He moved faster this time, and she pressed her thighs together in delight – trying to get any sort of friction for herself as she moaned beneath him. His testicles tickled at her chin as his hips thrust forward and back. She wound her tongue around him when she could, keeping her breathing even and swallowing when she needed to as his hips moved faster and faster. Looking straight up, she couldn’t see his face – pity – only the muscles in his abdomen, clenching and unclenching as a sheen of sweat appeared on his skin. On his next down stroke she wriggled her nose against the soft hair there and he let out a strangled giggle as she hummed. He pulled back faster than ever before and thrust forward – but went a touch too far this time and she choked slightly, her throat tightening around the head of his cock as he automatically pushed a bit forward at the sensation.

When he backed off he pulled out of her mouth completely, as she protested, “It’s fine, I’m fine,” but he was scrambling down her body until he could capture her mouth with his own, his tongue sweeping through her mouth and she moaned at the flavour of him and her mingling. Her thighs parted naturally, and she wrapped her legs around his slim hips as his erection nudged at her soaked and aching flesh.

When he slid within her, they both broke their kiss, gasping for air as he drove into her so deeply that his pelvic bone was grinding against her still sensitive clit. “Oh god sweetie, _yes_ ,” she gasped, and he drew back, slamming into her again as his hands fumbled by her wrists, releasing them. His hands laced through hers once they were free, but he kept their arms above her head, his weight pinning her wrists to the floor as he thrust in and out of her at a delirious pace.

“I love you, River, so much more than I ever wanted to or thought myself capable of,” he murmured the words into her ear, his face buried in her hair by her throat and she could feel his hearts thundering over hers.

“Oh Doctor, I love you too. So much more than you’ll ever know,” she panted the words out and he groaned, kissing her neck as he continued to fuck her, his pace increasing and his strokes hitting deeper and deeper as she hitched her legs higher around his waist. “So close,” she cried out and he hummed in approval, adding a twist to his thrusts that had her vision blacking out. “Yes, yes, my love,” she sobbed as she felt her orgasm crash through her like a tsunami,  her clenching muscles pulling him in further and taking him over the edge with her as he shouted her name.

He collapsed on top of her, both of them panting, their sweat slicked skin sticking together as he finally released her hands, pulling them down as he slid out of her and to the side to cuddle next to her. He rubbed her wrists lightly, and pulled her hands up so he could press a kiss to each one as he looked at her, his eyes soft and pleading. “Stay with me?” he asked in a whisper and she looked at him, wondering not for the first time that night what had happened for him before he came to her.

“How long?” she asked in a whisper and he let out a harsh chuckle.

“Forever,” he spoke bleakly – but they both knew forever was not a possibility for them. Not yet. “For a while. Travel with me – River, I – I need you,” he admitted in a low tone and she nodded in agreement. She pulled back, unwinding the fairy lights from her body and discarding them before she curled into his arms.

“For as long as you need me, sweetie,” she promised, pressing a soft kiss to his chin. His arms tightened around her and he made a choked noise in the back of his throat.

“Really?” he sounded disbelieving and she nodded.

“Of course honey – I’d never refuse you, you know that. So long as I get to fly us back when the time comes so I don’t arrive years out of date,” she arched a brow at him and he smiled down at her brightly. “The only reason I’d ever refuse is if I knew I couldn’t because of our timelines, Doctor.”

He stared at her for a moment before tears sprung to his eyes and he nodded. “Of course – I should have – should have known that. You always know. Just what I need, before even I do.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead softly. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear,” he whispered and she sighed, not quite understanding what he was promising.

“Spoilers, hm?” she asked with a smile and he nodded, an incredible sadness entering his eyes. God she hated to see it. “Maybe you already have made it up to me, and you didn’t even know it at the time,” she pointed out and he frowned at that before his gaze cleared. “Come on then, you can’t be sad at Christmas,” she sighed, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his mouth. “Fine, in a show of good spirit, and as your gift – you can top the tree with a hat,” she sighed gustily and he grinned down at her.

“Really?!”

“Really,” she smiled back at him, relieved to see him happier.

“A _fez_?” he squeaked and she rolled her eyes and nodded. “And can we still have bowties on the tree?” She nodded once more and he pulled her closer and kissed her fiercely. “I bloody _love_ you, River Song.”

“And you should. Now come on, darling – we’ve probably tangled those lights far more than they were before – I’m shocked we didn’t shatter them actually,” she mused and he giggled.

“Nah, they’re 43rd century fairy lights, River – unbreakable, barely use any power and oh – they have a _self-untangling_ feature,” he shot up, leaving her on the floor as he crawled toward the lights. She propped her head in her hand and watched his bare arse sway in amusement.

“That would have been helpful, darling, oh, say – _an hour ago_ ,” she scolded him as he found the end and pressed a tiny switch. Instantly the lights writhed, almost as if alive, until a neat circle of lights, ready to be strung lay on the floor.

“Well, sometimes the hard way can be fun,” he teased her, glancing over her should was she grinned. “Now – we need to get dressed – can’t decorate a tree naked. Tried once – sap _everywhere_ , don’t recommend it,” he grinned and leapt to his feet, hauling her up as well. “I’ve had a _lot_ of Christmases you know, River.”

“I know, I’ve been there for quite a few, sweetie,” she grinned as she slid her dress on, forgoing any undergarments at all. He stepped into his trousers, pulling them up and slid his shirt on. She walked over and buttoned it for him as he grinned down at her.

“I know,” he admitted and she kissed him softly. “But do you know – I think this might be the best one yet?”

“It had better be because of me, and _not_ the fez,” she glared at him and he tangled his hands into her hair, kissing her fiercely.

“Of _course_ it’s because of you,” he admonished. “You’re staying. As long as I’d like – it’s the best present you could ever give me River.”

“Well what else can you give a Timelord but time?” she laughed and he gazed at her, affection all over his face. “I love you sweetie,” she breathed the words out, her hand cupping his cheek as her thumb brushed along his cheekbone.

He kissed her then, a ribbon of lights at their feet and the tree towering over them, filling the air with its fresh smell. Honestly, she thought as she wrapped her arms around him, it would likely be her best Christmas yet too. Just them for once – wrapped in the embrace of their ship. And having just married his younger self, she felt like they deserved this time – a bit of a second honeymoon, perhaps.

“It’s a _bit_ the fez too though,” he admitted cheekily as he pulled back and she glared up at him and pinched his bum, hard. He yelped and she grinned up at him.

“How was I to resist, my love?”

 


End file.
